Intel Rapid Storage Technology

[1] Up to version 4 it is included on Intel Application Accelerator RAID Edition,[2] between versions 5 and 8.9 it is included on Intel Matrix Storage Manager (IMSM), since version 9 it is included on Intel Rapid Storage Technology (IRST) preferring the driver modes to be named RST AHCI and RST AHCI RAID instead of Matrix RAID.

[3] Once one or the other driver is installed, it is not possible for the Windows operating system to boot again with the BIOS/UEFI set to RAID/IDE, producing BSOD in case of trying.

[4] As of 2020, it includes a RAID system capable of RAID levels 0, 1, 5, and 10, a block level SSD caching accelerator ("Smart Response Technology") with support for write-back and write-through modes for speed or data protection of any disk or RAID array, and support for intelligent caching, speedy recovery from certain issues, and for PCI Express based drives.

Intel RST is provided by a combination of firmware, chipset and CPU capabilities, and software.

As such, the chipset, the firmware included in the BIOS, and the software installed by the user, must be compatible versions.

Online forums and communities exist which compare the benefits of different versions of these, advise as to best compatibility for specified hardware, and modify existing firmware and software to allow optimal combinations or updates beyond those provided by the hardware manufacturers.

Set up of the RAID volumes must be done by using the ROM option in the Matrix Storage Manager, then further configuration can be done in DM-RAID or MD-RAID.

[11] FreeBSD versions 6 thru 9 and MidnightBSD supported Intel Matrix RAID using the "ataraid" driver, managed through the atacontrol command.

[16][17] Some of these problems, when experienced in combination, could result in the loss of an entire array (even in the case of RAID 1).

[19] As of 2014[update] Intel uses "Rapid Storage Technology" -"Option Rom"- on its new chipsets, dropping the "Matrix" name.

[23] Since release 11.2.0.0000, TRIM commands can be read by Windows RAID drivers made for 7 series chipsets.

When booting in a true UEFI environment the Option ROM is not used as a SataDriver with the RST version takes over.

Intel Rapid Storage Technology enterprise (Intel RSTe)[32] provides performance and reliability for supported systems equipped with Serial ATA (SATA) devices, Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) devices, and/or solid state drives (SSDs) to enable an optimal enterprise storage solution.

[33][clarification needed] RST supports regular SATA controllers from desktop systems.

If the BIOS of the motherboard has RSTe feature then the user cannot install Intel Rapid Storage Technology software (error message: This platform is not supported).